Buying fishing lures as gifts

When buying fishing lures as a present, the most important thing to remember is that money talks. Have you ever seen those 1000 lure for $19.99 value packs? Believe me, there isn't anything in that bargain basement bag of tricks that will ever catch a fish. It's true that there are some endeavors in which quantity beats quality, but fishing isn't one of them. With that in mind, let's explore some possibilities in the three major fishing lure categories: spinners, jigs, and plugs.

There are several brands of spinners out there, and Panther Martin, Rooster Tail, and Mepps head the list. Panther Martin spinners all have a sonic quality in the water. This is caused by an indentation in the spoon (or spinning) part of the lure. The sound waves that are emitted draw fish of all types, and the general idea is "the bigger the pinner, the bigger the fish." Rooster Tail's "Vibric" family of spinners have the same sonic quality of the Panther Martin.

Personally, this is my favorite spinner, and often, when float fishing, the "white vibric" will catch fish when nothing else will. Mepps is the self-proclaimed "World's Greatest Lure," and they are tried and true. Personally, I would rate them a notch below the other two, but their inline spinners are very unique. The Mepps inline is a heavier, yet streamlined lure that can be casted great distances. In big, open water, this is a must.

A jig consists of a lead head/hook combination and a soft body attached to the hook. In most cases, these are designed to mimic a grub. A jig head is a jig head for the most part, but many of the online dealers offer higher quality versions than what you'd find in K-Mart. The most important thing is to match its size to the fishing conditions, and buying the ones with red hooks ia also a plus. Red hooks give the illusion of a blood trail when being retrieved. As for the body, my favorite is Berkeley Gulp. It is made entirely of organic material and adds scent and taste to the equation. Other favorites are Mister Twister and Northland. Mister Twister offers the best variety of colors, while Northland offers a line of jig bodies and heads that resemble a minnow. You can't go wrong with any of the above; they will all catch fish.

Then there is the plug category. These have a hard body, and most of them are designed to mimic a minnow when retrieved. If you go to the neighborhood Wal-Mart, two brand names will dominate the shelf space: Rapala and Rebel. Rapalas are made from high quality balsa and are the top choice of fishermen all over the world. Back in the day, Rebel made lures that would outfish a Rapala every day of the week, but the quality control has taken a hit. However, they Rebel lure designed to mimic a crayfish is one of the deadliest on the market. Every tackle box should have at least one of these lures!

Some miscellaneous plugs have been catching fish for decades, and there are some new additions that are filling creels from coast-to-coast. I'll start with Fred Arbogast's Jitterbug. These are designed for night fishing, and the large front lip makes bubbles and noise upon retrieval that make fish furious. The idea is that fish will strike this lure to kill it rather than eat it. The Jitterbug was more popular in a bygone era, but fish haven't changed that much: this lure is still very effective. Finally, there are several new, high-quality lures that look like a swimming field mouse when reeled in. Cast one of these across a farm pond, and eventually the yield will be a huge largemouth bass!

So remember, quality beats quantity every time. Remember those "bag-o-lures" I mentioned earlier? I have a number of them in the bottom of my tackle box, and the hooks are rusting on every one of them. That's pretty much everybody's tackle box. All fishermen have a half-dozen lures they return to time and again, and they are the cream of the crop. These are the lures that the fisherman on your list wants to see in his or her stocking!